The notion of reconnecting with the past may spur us to find antique furniture pieces and welcome them in our homes, but this is not the only reason why we do so. Our taste for old glamour sends us back to adoring beautiful carvings and exquisite craftsmanship of traditional and classical designs. Nothing beats Victorian armchairs in magnificence and intricacy. They are luxurious to look at and even more luxurious to sink in to. The luscious velvet upholstery envelops your body like a warm embrace. Chippendale armchairs with their pagoda or gothic designed backrests attract the eyes with their complexity and fascinating fusion of style. Chinese yoke back armchairs have light and curvaceous silhouettes with smooth and rich solid wood that reminds you of another dynasty, another culture. Some of the most extravagant looking antique armchairs came from the Queen Anne period when they served royalty and nobles, now they provide a comforting piece of sitting and lounging furniture in a modified classical living room or a masculine and eclectic library.

Conservatories are difficult to contend with, furniture-wise. Do you make the conservatory a secondary summer dining area, a bright working space, or a living room without a TV?

The conservatory as TV-less living room argument is persuasive though. Perfect for entertaining guests before dinner, or even for day-to-day reading, web browsing, or just for sitting down with a cup of coffee and looking out at the scenery. You could start with an armchair, and then add other living room accoutrements if the armchair trial proves successful and desirable.

For a smaller space, this really is crucial. You want to be sure to have enough room to sit down comfortably in the chair, while also ensuring it fits in the area. The smallest you need to look at for seat depth (or inner measurements) is approximately 24 inches wide for comfortable seating. Take external sizes too, so you will know your chair will slot in perfectly to the space you've got reserved for it.

While the rich and famous might have the space for a thirty-seating cinema in their basement, the rest of us don't. So the rows of plush cinema seating that the stars have aren't really of any use to us. A handful of armchairs would neatly achieve the same objective, though.

Now mark and cut out the slots which house the back panel. These are 165mm long, 13mm wide, and run at an angel of 82° to the top edges of the side panels. Use the methods detailed above to mark and cut them accurately.